Words of Wisdom
by Kara1626
Summary: Kate gets shot at because Tony disobeyed an order. Can Gibbs forgive him? Can Tony forgive himself? WARNING: Contains non-consensual spanking of an adult.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: Contains non-consensual spanking of an adult.**

**Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. I just borrow them.**

Tony ran across the warehouse and pushed open the door, weapon drawn. But he was gone – no where to be seen. He turned around and ran back across the cement floor. Kate was pushing herself up.

"Are you ok?" Tony gasped reaching down to help her up.

"I'm fine. What happened?" Kate asked.

"He's gone," he answered morosely.

"I don't understand. Why didn't you…" she began. Tony shook his head and walked away. "Tony!" she called after him, but he kept walking.

* * * * *

Gibbs heard Tony knock on the front door and then open it. A few seconds later, he walked through the living room, clearly on his way to the basement. He stopped short when he saw Gibbs standing in the middle of the living room.

"Hey Boss," Tony said weakly. Gibbs tilted his head and looked at him without responding. After a minute, he was so uncomfortable under his boss' steady gaze that he turned away. "Do you want me upstairs or should I just bend over the back of the couch?" Tony asked, reaching down to unzip his slacks.

Gibbs nodded toward the couch. "Sit down," he said quietly. Tony looked confused. "We're gonna talk."

"But I disobeyed you," Tony argued. "And Kate got shot at."

"I know," came the gentle response.

"You aren't going to punish me?"

"DiNozzo, sit," Gibbs ordered. When Tony had finally settled himself on the couch, he sat down in the armchair across from him. "Ok, start at the beginning. Tell me what happened."

"You know what happened. I disobeyed you, I went into the warehouse without backup and I put Kate in danger."

"I didn't ask for a summary."

Tony huffed, but Gibbs leaned back in his seat patiently and waited. Finally, Tony gathered his thoughts. "I was standing next to the dumpster when I saw Marshall pull up, which I then told you. You told me to hold my position and wait for backup. Marshall got out of his car, shot the surveillance camera and the lock on the door and went inside. And I followed him." Tony stopped, his shoulders slumping.

"Go on," Gibbs said after a minute.

Tony took a deep breath before he continued. "I went into the warehouse, but I didn't see Marshall." He stopped again, remembering too clearly what happened next. "The next thing I knew, the door behind me flew open and then I heard the shots. I saw Kate hit the deck and Marshall run toward the back of the warehouse. I knew Marshall had missed her, so I followed him. But by the time I got to the door, he was gone. The backup team arrived about a minute later…" he trailed off.

The two men sat quietly for a few minutes, Gibbs deep in thought and Tony knee-deep in guilt. Finally, Tony spoke again. "Can we just get this over with?"

Gibbs played dumb. "Get what over with?"

"Come on Boss. I screwed up, and when I screw up, you whip my ass and then we all go back to work."

"Uh huh," Gibbs said, still studying Tony carefully. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "Why do I do that?" he asked.

Tony shrugged. "'Cause I'm an idiot?"

"No, you're not. Yes, you make mistakes, but who doesn't?" Gibbs scolded. When Tony didn't respond, he stood up. "This is why I punish you when you make the kinds of mistakes you made today." He walked to the bookshelf next to the fireplace. When he returned a moment later, he handed Tony a black leather-bound book.

"What's this?" Tony asked. Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Well, I know what it is," Tony said defensively, "but what does it have to do with this conversation?"

"Proverbs 19:18. Look it up," Gibbs answered, lowering himself back into the chair across from Tony.

After a brief, skeptical glance at his boss, Tony flipped the pages and found the verse he'd been pointed to. "Read it," Gibbs instructed.

"'Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.'" Tony rested the Bible on his lap and sat thoughtfully for a moment. "But I'm not your son," he said finally.

Gibbs shook his head and grinned. "First of all, way to miss the point, DiNozzo. And second," he said, softening, "you might as well be. And I'm not about to let you put your life on the line so carelessly. If taking a belt to you means you'll think twice before you do something to get yourself – or someone else – killed, then that's what I'll do. And I'll do it every time you do something like this."

"You really think that?" Tony asked.

"Which part?" Gibbs asked, looking at Tony suspiciously.

"That I might as well be your son?"

"I think you're still missing the point," the older man said pointedly.

"No, I get it," Tony sighed. "You should know, by the way, that I _did_ think twice before I followed Marshall into the warehouse."

"And you went anyway."

He sighed again. "Yeah, I went anyway. I knew that if he didn't kill me you would. But it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I just didn't think that Kate would follow me into the warehouse and I sure as hell didn't think she'd get shot at."

Gibbs chewed the inside of his lip for a moment. "You really thought about it first?" Tony nodded. "So maybe this is working after all."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think it is. I think today was the first time I've ever really stopped to think about the consequences before I did something. I just wish I had thought a little longer," he added morosely.

"So what made you decide to disobey my order and rush in after him?"

Tony shrugged. "I thought I could get to him faster than the backup team." He looked at his hands. "I guess I was just, I don't know, impulsive."

"Well, you always been," Gibbs agreed. "And sometimes that works out ok for you. But more often than not, it backfires." He stood up and walked back over to the fireplace. He leaned against the mantle with his back to Tony. "You scare me," he said almost sadly. "I'm scared that one of these days, you're going to do something impulsive like you did today and your luck is going to run out." Tony saw him take a deep breath and let it out shakily. He turned around and looked at Tony for a long minute. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen."

He studied the young man in front of him. He was swimming in guilt, and that didn't surprise Gibbs at all. He had disobeyed a direct order, but he knew that wasn't the problem. "Kate could have been killed," he said quietly, knowing he was poking at a very tender spot.

He saw Tony swallow hard, shake his head and bury his face in his hands.

Gibbs stood and watched him for a minute. He walked across the room and sat down in front of Tony again. He put his hand gently on Tony's knee. "Look at me." When he looked up, there were tears in his eyes. "Hey, it's over. Marshall got caught at airport security and is behind bars, Kate's fine, and I'm pretty sure you've learned your lesson. You need to move on."

Tony looked up suddenly and studied Gibbs' face. "What do you mean?" he asked after a minute.

"What do I mean by what, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked impatiently. He sat back in his chair again.

"I'm just supposed to 'move on'?" Gibbs nodded. "You're not going to…" Gibbs shook his head. "But…why not?" he asked. Tony saw a faint smile flash across Gibbs' face before he returned to a serious scowl. "Boss, why not?" he asked again. There was betrayal in his voice.

After allowing him to squirm for a minute, Gibbs finally asked, "How do you feel after I spank you?"

"What?" Tony asked, surprised.

"How do you feel after I spank you?" came the pointed repeat.

"I don't know…"

"Well, think about it for a minute." He could see Tony's brain working overtime and he sat back to wait. After a few minutes of watching him become more and more uncomfortable, he finally decided that if he was ever going to get back to his boat, he needed to help his agent along a bit. "Do you feel better or worse?"

Tony took the lifeline. "Well, my ass hurts for a while, so I'd say that's worse." He caught the look that was shot at him and sobered. "It gets rid of the guilt," he finally admitted.

Gibbs nodded but said nothing.

A few seconds later, Tony understood. The betrayal returned to his face and his voice. "Boss, I…you're really not…?" Gibbs shook his head again. "But why not?"

Gibbs looked at him again. "I just told you why not. Weren't you listening?" He stood up and headed for the basement. "See you tomorrow, DiNozzo."

Tony watched his boss disappear through the door and heard him clomp down the steps. But instead of leaving, he sat frozen on the couch. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd arrived at Gibbs' house as ordered fully expecting to get a hard whipping and some resolution. But instead, he sat alone, waves of guilt threatening to drown him. He'd disobeyed a direct order. He'd put Kate in danger. She could have been killed. _He_ could have been killed.

And what did it mean that Gibbs hadn't punished him? Did it mean that he'd finally crossed the line and that Gibbs had washed his hands of him? That thought, more than any other brought a lump to Tony's throat. As the darkness gathered in the living room, Tony sat listening to the sounds of the man he'd come to love and respect work alone one floor below.


	2. Chapter 2

* * * * *

Gibbs ran his hand over the board he'd just tacked in place, feeling for any rough spots he'd missed with the plane. He'd been working steadily for forty minutes, but even over the sounds of his handiwork, he did not hear the one sound he'd been listening for. He argued with himself – was he doing the right thing? Or was he just making things worse? He knew that Tony had come to rely on him for guidance and discipline. But did that discipline always have to take the same form? "Aw, hell," he finally said, putting down his mallet and taking the steps two at a time.

He walked into the living room and flipped on the lamp. Tony didn't even look up. He sat down in the chair again and leaned forward. "Why are you still here?" he asked.

Tony squirmed uncomfortably. "I…um…it's just…"

Gibbs sighed impatiently. "How have you made it this far in your career without completely falling apart? This can't be the first time you've screwed up this big. And this can't be the first time you've put a partner in danger because you did something stupid."

"Actually," Tony said hoarsely, "it is."

"It is what?"

"I've never done something that got my partner shot at before. But…" he stopped.

"But what?"

Tony steeled himself. "That's not why I'm still here."

"Then why are you?"

"I don't know," Tony whispered.

"Yes you do," Gibbs whispered back. His boat was still calling, but for the moment, he ignored it. "Tell me what the problem is, Tony." Tony shrugged. "Tell me," Gibbs insisted.

"Kate could have been killed," he answered lamely.

Gibbs shook his head. "You just said that's not the reason. And I know that's true because if it were, you'd have gone to find her by now. What's really bothering you?"

"Forget it," Tony said, standing up suddenly and turning for the door.

"Sit down!" Gibbs ordered angrily. Tony turned and looked at him for a moment before sitting down on the couch again. "I'm not playing around with you, Tony. What's the problem?"

"Are you giving up on me?" Tony asked quietly.

"Am I…am I giving up on you?" Gibbs asked incredulously. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"Is the reason you didn't punish me because you think it's not worth the effort anymore?"

Gibbs mouth hung over for a moment – a first for him. "You think I didn't spank you tonight because I don't want to be bothered?" Tony nodded. _Damn!_ "If I didn't want to be bothered, you would not be sitting in my living room right now. You'd be sitting in _your_ living room looking for another job!"

"Then why…"

"Because I thought feeling guilty for a while would be an appropriate punishment for this time and deterrent for next time," Gibbs explained. "Apparently, all it did was make you useless," he said, almost to himself.

But Tony heard, and the words stung more than a belt ever could. He stood up angrily and headed for the door again, but Gibbs was faster. He grabbed his arm, spun him around and slapped him hard on the butt. He spun him around again and stood just inches from his face. "I am not giving up on you. One of these days, you're finally going to start thinking like an agent _all_ the time. And when that happens, my job will be done. Until then…" he pulled Tony toward the couch, "bend over."

Tony bent over, but when Gibbs disappeared, he stood up again. He heard quick footsteps on the basement steps, the sound of him rummaging around for something, and then more quick steps coming back up. Gibbs appeared around the corner holding a paddle.

"Why are still standing up? I thought this was what you wanted?" he demanded, gesturing with the paddle. Without another word, Tony bent over the back of the couch.

A split second after Tony felt Gibbs' hand on his back, the paddle slammed into him. The impact took his breath away. Gibbs allowed him to recover before he launched into a spanking that was just hard enough to break the seal and make Tony start to cry. As soon as he did, Gibbs tossed the paddle onto the couch and pulled Tony up and into a strong hug. He held him as Tony sobbed, releasing his guilt over what had happened to Kate and fear that Gibbs had abandoned him.

When he finally settled down, Gibbs pushed him gently away and nodded toward the couch. They both returned to their seats as Tony sniffed. After a minute, Gibbs grinned. "Better?"

Tony shrugged.

"Don't tell me I just went through all that for nothing," Gibbs said with mock annoyance. He watched Tony for another minute as the young man absent-mindedly rubbed his fingers along the edge of the paddle sitting next to him on the couch.

Gibbs got up and went to the kitchen. He returned a moment later and handed Tony a bottle of beer. He settled back in his seat and took a swig from his own bottle. "What's on your mind?" Gibbs asked quietly, then sat back to wait.

Tony drank half his beer before he spoke. "This wasn't even about Kate," he said as if he'd been mid-thought when he started talking.

"No kidding," Gibbs said with a grin.

Tony looked up. After a few seconds, he returned the grin. "You're the investigator," he said. "What was this about?"

Gibbs laughed then suddenly sobered. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say," he paused and studied Tony for a moment. "I'd say this is about your father. And me." Tony nodded slowly. "Anthony," Gibbs sighed, "I am not your father."

"But you said I was pretty much your son," Tony teased.

"You're lucky I can't reach you," Gibbs teased back. He sobered again. "I'm not going anywhere, Tony. And I'm not giving up on you. Is that clear?" Tony nodded again. "Is that clear?" Gibbs repeated a bit stronger.

"I got it Boss," Tony said.

"Good," Gibbs said, draining his beer. "Because if we ever have to have this conversation again, you_ will_ be looking for a new job." He stood up and grabbed the bottle out of Tony's hand. "Now will get out of here so I can get back to my boat?"


End file.
